Dark Paradise
by Kaitlandia 101
Summary: In Panam one boy and one girl must risk their lives in the Annual Hunger Games. This year the Gamemakers have something special in mind. This year is going to be different. Welcome to the 42nd Annual Hunger Games! *SYOT OPEN*


District One Reapings

_One year ago_

~~LIG'S P.O.V. ~~

"Lig! Wake up now!" my father, George, screamed in my ear. I didn't react very much, but just gave a small moan.

"Fine. You've forced me to do this." He reached down by his feet and grabbed a pitcher. Suddenly, he poured ice-cold water all over me and my bed.

"What the heck!" I immediately screamed.

"Today is the Reaping and you are going to volunteer whether you like it or not. I won these games and you are going to, too!"

_Today_

I looked in the mirror at my dark hair, which was spiked up, at my broad shoulders, and buff arms, thinking of that day, exactly one year ago. That day I was told to volunteer. The day I chickened out. The day my father disowned me. I haven't spoken or seen him ever since that day.

Without Father, I had to move back into our old house because George was the official owner of the house in the Victors Village

"Em, I'm leaving for about 10 minutes. I'll be right back to help get ready for the Reaping!" I yelled to Em.

"Kk," she said back.

I ran downstairs and out the door and a couple houses to my best friend Flo. We'd known each other as long as we could remember. I couldn't help but crush on her. She was beautiful, strong, and thin.

I walked up to her window, which was on the second floor, picked up a handful of pebbles, and threw them one at a time so they would hit her window. She hadn't answered after about ten minutes or so, so I grabbed a handful of pebbles and through them all at once.

"What!" she yelled, quite aggravated.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?" I returned sarcastically.

"Just leave or else!" she screamed. I knew she would never hurt me, but I always left when she said, "or else." She was capable of some scary things, I knew, and I didn't want to find out what they were.

Flo was in one of her many moods. She was mysterious like that. I loved that about her. She would also never talk about her family or let me into her house. Looking back, I realize that she might have been trying to hide something from me, but at the time, I saw nothing suspicious.

"Waterva," I said back. I heard a small giggle from her, and smiled. When we were little Flo couldn't pronounce whatever, so she said waterva. I would always make fun of her for it. It was like our little inside joke.

I realized I never got breakfast so I walked back home.

I pranced right into the kitchen and grabbed some cereal. I poured it into a bowl with some milk and grabbed a spoon. I turned around to see my father sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. I dropped the cereal immediately and the milk splattered every where.

"I would clean that up if I were you. You're mother is gonna' be mad if she finds out. You know how she is," he said.

"Why are you here?" I whispered so quietly, I wasn't sure if he could hear me.

"Don't you know what today is?" Father's voice was calm and still, and the fact that it was freaked me out.

"Of course," I replied. I realized with shame that my voice cracked a bit, and I coughed to cover it up.

"I've been waiting a long time to have this talk."

~~FLO'S P.O.V. ~~

I was rummaging through my family's closets and drawers, looking for my sister's old reaping outfit.

Ten years ago my sister, Maggie, was killed in the Hunger Games, at the age of 16. Every year I have waited until I was 16 so I could wear it.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Ti-ti-ti-ti-tick!_

"What!" I yelled. It was Lig. I hated to yell at Lig, but I had better things to do than spend time with him before the Reaping at 10:00.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?" Of course. Sarcasm. He always used sarcasm. It annoyed me on a daily basis, but today the smallest thing would piss me off.

"Just leave or else!" I yelled

"Waterva," he said. I couldn't help it: I giggled a little at our joke.

…

"Where is it?" I yelled, frantically, once he was gone. I walked into my parents' old room, and the door made a loud groan. I opened a drawer and dug until I found it at the bottom. "Finally." I pulled on the dress, my long, wavy black hair flowing perfectly with the small bright, purple, strapless dress.

I ate breakfast and headed out for a walk just to think, like I did every Reaping.

"Should I tell him?" I asked myself.

After Maggie died in the Games, my parents went into a depression and locked themselves up in their room. About three months after her death, it happened. I hadn't seen them in weeks. I went up to check on them, and was met with the horrific scene I could imagine. When I peeked in, I hesitated, then walked all the way in. Before me were two figures, hanging limply from the ceiling. I fell to my knees and sobbed for the first time since Maggie's death. I can't remember how long I was in that ball, but I do remember when the Peacekeepers stormed into the house, and dragged me from them.

I never told anyone about it. I didn't want to live in a foster home. It would have just ruined me on the inside. I would've gone mad.

I was walking, not looking where I was going, until I tripped over a stump and landed in a pile of dirt

"Crap!" I yelled. I hopped up and tried to wipe of the dirt. I looked at down at my watch which read 9:58. I was going to be late. It took 20 minutes to walk from where she was. That was about 9 minutes running. She started to sprint.

These Reapings were going to be different.

~~LIG'S P.O.V. ~~

I was standing in the Town Square. The mayor was making her speech, but I had heard it enough and I was too caught up in my thoughts about my father. I brought my hand up to a bump on my forehead, and winced at my touch. As a result of the hit, I had an enormous headache. My father looked at me from the stage and smiled. I hated him.

Suddenly, there was a lot of talking. No one ever was supposed to talk during the Reaping, unless you were volunteering. I turned around to see Flo getting her finger pricked and running to her spot. I looked to the town clock. It read 10:12. She would be punished for that after the Reaping.

_Unless._

I put the thought out of my mind.

Finally the speech was over.

"Now time for the actual Reaping! Whoop, whoop" yelled Kinkey Magoo, District 1's escort. About half of the kids cheered, but they were in the 18 year old section. District Two was the blood-thirsty district.

"Velma-"

"I volunteer!" two people yelled at the same time. One of the two was Flo.

~~FLO'S P.O.V. ~~

I ran to the Peacekeeper. He pricked my finger with a disappointed look and I cursed in my head.

All of the girls in my age group were staring. I ran up to them sweating.

"Where have you been? They are about to pick the girl!" said Luci, one of the girls in my grade. I hadn't noticed, but Kinkey was already reaching into the girl's bowl.

"Velma -"

"I volunteer!" I yelled at the same time as some older girl.

I sprinted to the stage. I had an advantage, being closer to the stage. If I started back where the eighteen year old was, I would have definitely lost.

_What's the point in living a life if no one is there to love you in it? _I questioned myself. _Except for Lig, but he doesn't love me, he just likes me as a friend and that's all we will ever be._

"What is your name?" Kinkey asked in her Capitol accent.

"I am Flo Mag, and I am 15 years old."

"Wonderful, now for the boys."

~~LIG'S P.O.V. ~~

_What is she doing? _I thought to myself. I even mumbled a couple words out loud until I heard a thump. I looked to the stage. My father was collapsing to the ground. Kinkey had a slip for the boys in her hand, but threw it back into the bowl once Gorge hit the ground.

I ran up to my father on the stage. Em was already there, kneeling by his side.

"Daddy? Daddy?" Em kept saying to him. He wasn't replying; only clutching his heart.

Some man in a white and red uniform rushed up on stage, a strange instrument in his hand. He put it to Father's chest, and stuck some weird buds into his ear. Then he looked up at Em and me. "I'm going to have to ask you two to step away."

"No, this is my daddy," Em replied.

"Listen to the man, Em," I said to her. She stepped away, but I stayed right there. By then our mother had arrived on the stage and grabbed Em's hand.

"I need a stretcher!" the man yelled. He was obviously a doctor. Two other men came with a stretcher, and put him on it and walked away.

"Well, I don't know what that was, but it's over so let's get on with the Reaping. Will you three please return to the crowd?" Kinkey said with a grand wave of her hand.

Em, Lilly, and I returned back to the crowd, as told.

"Now for the boys," Kinkey continued.

I was in my spot at the 15 year old section when my name was called. I walked up slowly.

_This is Dad's fault. If he hadn't fainted, Kinkey wouldn't have picked me. She had a different slip in her hand. I hate my dad! _I thought to myself on the way up to the stage.

"Imagine that. You were just up here. Well that's a coincidence!"

"Give it up for your 42nd Annual Hunger Games tributes!" Kinkey yelled.

Of course no one cheered. Either because they didn't know either of us or they were mad at Flo for taking the other girl's spot.

"Okay, well let's go inside."

Kinkey walked inside with the Flo on one side and me on the other. Once inside, two Peacekeepers came for Flo, and two came for me. They led me down a long hallway. At the end was a room. The Peacekeepers pushed me in, closed the door and stood outside.

There were two couches across from each other that were a deep blood red. In between the couches was a dark brown coffee table. I sat down on one of the couches and waited.

About two minutes later my mother and sister came in

"Mom. Em," I said as I ran up to hug them. "Where's Dad?"

"Your father. He had a heart attack. I'm sorry. He didn't make it," Mom said.

I looked down, and then up at Em who was balling.

"Times up. Let's go," the Peacekeeper said. Lilly and Em just walked out. I thought Em would not want to leave. We love each other more than that. _I guess she is still in shock from Dad. _

~~FLO'S POV~~

I thought no one would come to visit, but I was wrong. The girl from the Reaping, the one who was supposed to go up this year, came.

"You took me year!" she yelled. "You took it! If you come back, and I know you won't but if you do I swear I will -" I guess the Peacekeepers could hear what was going on because they came busting in while the girl was screaming.

They don't want their little tribute to get harmed before they should be. I would be disgusted if I didn't _want_ to die in a week.

Other than the girl no one came as I predicted.

I bet Lig would have come if he wasn't stuck in a room like me.

I planned on doing everything I could to protect Lig. I don't have any intentions on coming back anyway.

~~LIG'S POV~~

A peacekeeper came to get me. She guides me outside and into a limousine. We are going to the train station.

The train is beautiful. I haven't seen anything this luxurious my whole life, and that's coming from someone who lives in the luxury district.

There are table and tables and tables of food. We have never been short of food, but know one can have enough food. I pick a table and start to eat.

I never really did have breakfast. Dad interrupted my breakfast.

Dad. He is gone. I miss him. He _did _raise me.

Suddenly, I am not hungry. Maybe it's because I was thinking about my dad, or Kinkey just walked in and I can smell her perfume from ten feet. I walk to "my" room and fall asleep.

~~FLO POV~~

We get on the train and Lig starts to eat right away. I don't want to eat. I want to die right now. What if I can't protect him? What if _he _tries to kill me? I won't be able to handle myself.

Questions like this bobble around in my head. I go and sit by a window and look out over the city.

Goodbye District 1. Forever.


End file.
